The Dunwoody City Council and Mayor Mike Davis dismissed all ethics complaints related to the alleged Project Renaissance leak instead of continuing through with Board of Ethics hearings.

Davis and Councilwoman Adrian Bonser entered into mediation to resolve complaints they filed against each other earlier this year.

The ethics board had been called upon to hear a complaint filed by Davis against Bonser for allegedly leaking information discussed in a February executive session meeting about Project Renaissance. The board was also scheduled to hear Bonser’s counter-complaint filed against Davis for harassment and seeking her resignation from city council.

However, the mayor and councilmembers signed a mutual agreement at the end of November to dismiss the complaints. As part of the settlement agreement, Bonser issued a written statement of apology.

“While at the time I sent a response to a constituent’s email of February 12, 2012, I did not think I was doing anything improper,” she said. “I now understand some of the information included in my email should not have been included. For that mistake, I am very sorry. I pledge to the citizens of Dunwoody to do everything in my power to maintain the highest ethical standards.”

Bonser said she sent an apology letter to Davis several weeks before the settlement agreement was signed.

“It was all to get this behind us,” she said.

She added she wanted an apology from the mayor for his treatment towards her but knew she would never get one.

When the Board of Ethics met Nov. 26 to initially discuss the hearings, Davis said he did not see a chance of solving the issue via mediation. The mayor said he finally agreed to settle the matter “when [Bonser’s] side realized we were serious about going all the way through ethics and came back with an offer that we could accept.”

He added in a written statement, “The leaks have stopped and while the experience has been personally and publicly challenging, I am confident we have made our city government stronger.”

As part of the settlement agreement, Davis and the councilmembers agreed to conduct a review on the city’s ethics ordinance and arrange for education and training on the Georgia Open Meetings Act and executive session provisions.

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